Raingutter Regatta

B with his borrowed boat -- his broke before the races! Luckily, J

made a boat, too, for the siblings' races. J shared his boat with B.

B earned his Religious Knot -- We're so proud of him!!
Now I just have to sew it on!!

B came in 2nd in his division. Great job!! J is
standing right by B, in the green shirt.
The Raingutter Regatta was on Thursday night.

T's First Day at his 2nd Preschool

T with his pal, Garrett

T with his preschool bucket

Timothy started his 2nd preschool on Thursday with Miss Jenn & Miss Christi. He was very excited to go and VERY excited about his preschool bucket. Here at this preschool, they don't use backpacks, but buckets instead. We pack T a lunch, and he gets to bring a share item every time! He kept saying "Fun" after I picked him up from school. He's so glad he gets to go to school with one of his best buddies, Garrett. I enjoyed my time, again, today. I treated myself to a much-needed massage. It was awesome!!!

Summer 2007

The Boys

Al-le-lu-ia!!!

T on his FIRST day of Preschool. He wouldn't stop jumping up & down!

I don't know who was more excited for preschool? T or Mom? I had to catch up to T on the way to his classroom, which is tucked at the back of this campus. Luckily, I don't have to haul another child with me. (That's a first!) He was so excited to wear his Diego backpack. At this preschool, speech therapy is the focus, so it is a really small class with only 5 kids. He did really well on his first day with figuring out the routine and boundaries. He's been so ready for preschool. As for me? We'll I admit I've been counting the days, too. T has been getting so restless and bored at home. There's only so much that Mom can do. So, I'm happy that he's getting an outlet for his energy and curiosity, not to mention therapy for his speech. As for MY first day with ALL of my boys in school, I called my friend to join me for a pedicure. It's been SO long since I've had one and it sure felt nice. To tell you how bad my feet were, the gal doing my pedicure had to pull out the big power sander!! I'm not kidding. It was nice to relax and even greater to visit with L. The time went quickly, but it was well spent. Thanks, Lisa!!

My happy feet.

Whoa! What a Week!

The Boys being silly

Even though we have chores to do on Saturdays, I'm sure glad it's the weekend. It has been very hectic this week and last. We got through 3 different "Back to School" nights, on top of homework, soccer practices, piano lessons, and cub scouts. Whew! It's been a big adjustment for all of us. I had been so spoiled up until now because my boys rode their bikes to the elementary school 2 blocks away. I drive N to Middle School in the mornings, but luckily he gets a ride home from our neighbor. (I LOVE carpools!) B&J ride their bikes together to the elementary school, which works out nice. J, especially, likes the independence.

With all of this craziness in the afternoons, I don't have much time to prepare dinners. Am I alone in this??!! We had breakfast for dinner one night, pizza another night and so on ... you get the idea. I just bought a book that has over 200 slow cooker recipes to help me out. I have a little time in the mornings, but once the boys are home from school ... well, that's a completely different story. Any good ideas? Easy QUICK recipes? I'm always on the hunt. I have some quick meals, but I'd like to get a few more in our rotation! I need to go dust off my slow-cooker, and try some new meals this week.

Random Things

We bought a bigger fish tank this week. B's little black fish was lonely and was swimming around in a small bowl. We got him some friends, and a bigger, cleaner home. The boys love watching the fish. T has already managed to drop a handful of legos, a small piece of bread, and a baby wipe into the tank. Those poor fish. They probably equate T with the crazy girl in the movie "Finding Nemo"! He wants to play with the fish, too. Um, yeah, we're working on this concept with him. Wish us luck!

T was very happy with his new helmet today and wore it all over the house. It has SpongeBob Squarepants on it and he's just thrilled. He had a big day today: he got to meet his new preschool teachers and preschool friends this morning. He's so excited to go to school (as is Mom!). He didn't want to leave today. This will make the drop-off next week much easier for the both of us for sure.

The boys are adjusting to school. It's been a little more hectic because of soccer starting up at the same time. B & J are enjoying the sport and being with their friends. J has the same coach as last year and he just loves his coach. Toss in piano lessons, cub scouts, boy scouts and you have quite a hectic household. We're busy, but happy.

Just Like My Brothers

T taking his "new" bike for a spin

Daddy adjusting the seat for T's inaugural ride

Before the start of school last week, Dad got the bikes out to check tires and adjust the seats. T had his eye on B's old bike hanging from the garage and kept pointing, determined to have it. We got this bike all tuned up and T was gearing to go, just like his big brothers. He kept pushing down on the brake as he was trying to learn to push the pedals. He was very disappointed when he realized that he wasn't going to be able to ride his bike WITH J&B to school. Hopefully, we'll be able to take him out more to practice on his bike. I need to dust of MY bike to get myself moving, too! T will be so happy to start his own school next week. He meets his two preschool teachers on Tuesday, and begins the following Tuesday. He'll be so happy to go to school like his big brothers.

Catching our Breath

J & Dad racing down cement slides for FHE

B & N racing down the slides for FHE

T wearing what we call the "Foozle" sweater. Thanks Grandma Marie!

T getting into mischief and getting caught!

The boys started school this week AND soccer practice. B & J both are doing soccer, again, this year and are very excited. It has been a VERY busy week ... organized chaos I call it. T is chomping at the bit to go to school. He'll go 4 days a week starting the 27th, and I know he'll just love it. I'm glad it's Friday. It will give us all a chance to catch our breath and get ready for the new routine next week. This definitely is the busiest time of year for us because of all of the soccer practices and games. We're busy, but happy ... and that's a good thing, right?!

As soon as his brothers left for school on Tuesday, T started right into his mischievous ways. I could hear the water running in the bathroom, and I told him several times to turn off the water. As soon as he heard me approaching, he became very upset and told me to "Go Away!" Then I KNEW there would be trouble, and I was right! He had plugged up the bathroom sink, filled it up with water, and was using his thumb to plug up the overflow hole! I came just in time to quell an impending flood! I snapped this picture of him and his disappointment is evident. He has kept me incredibly busy while his 3 big brothers are gone away at school. He is just so busy.

Two nights ago, J was complaining that bedtime was too early at 8 o'clock. The boys were all in bed just a few minutes after 8 and I tell you what! They were zonked out by 8:10, drooling!

So, yeah, we're all adjusting ... even Mom. I have been so busy with T, or getting the others to & fro that my laundry pile is now taller than Mt. Everest. G was looking for some socks and I told him "Happy Digging!" Hey, at least they are CLEAN.

I'm trying squeeze in some time to read my book, "New Moon" by Stephenie Meyer. It's very good! I've been enjoying this series.

School Begins ...

N right before we took him to school

J is so excited to ride his bike to school this year!!

J @ his desk in his 1st grade classroom

B really happy with his teachers! He has 2 teachers sharing the 1 class.

We're off to another school year. Unbelievable! Our summer vacation went by pretty fast. We had several lazy days along with several day-trips and activities. All-in-all, it was a really good summer for our family. The boys were excited to find out who their teachers were yesterday @ the elementary school. B got who he really wanted, and J was just happy to see who his new teacher is (I've heard good things about her, too). N was excited AND nervous about his first day @ Middle School. I took the traditional first-day-of-school pictures. The boys were still a little sleepy because they had a hard time getting to sleep last night -- they were really excited. This will be a week of adjustments for sure. J has to adjust to a full day of school now. He's so excited to play on the big playground and is happy to be riding his bike to school with his big brother. T was searching around for his "Diego" backpack to get ready for school himself. He was pretty disappointed to learn he wasn't starting school this morning. He has to wait 2 more weeks. Although, he gets to meet his preschool teachers next week. I'm sure counting down the days, too. He'll love school. Mom will love a little time to herself for sure!!

Lego Heaven!!

J with a huge Lego ship

B still in shock!

Is this for real?? We get to play with ALL of these?!!!


One version of Heaven, another version of He..!!

The boys already have quite the collection of Legos, and they play with them all of the time. I find them everywhere (behind plants, in my vacuum, in my bed, on the bookshelves ... you get the idea). Regardless of how they seem to wander everywhere, I do like Legos. My boys will spend hours building and creating and I think that's great. Well, on Saturday, my brother decided he was ready to part with his own personal Lego collection and bestowed it upon my boys. When he arrived, my boys happily unloaded the 6 boxes (office paper size), with screams of delight! B's eyes were as big as silver dollars for at least 30 minutes! I didn't recognize my living room. After hours of play, the boys cleaned up pretty well, especially after they were threatened with the confiscation of their new acquisition!! That pesky, black garbage bag seems to do the trick. That got them moving!! All evening long, they kept saying, "I cannot believe that he GAVE us all of these!!" I told my brother that he can come visit his Legos anytime, and that they will be greatly appreciated. Thanks, D!

The Beach

J, T, N, & B watching the waves

B & J diggin' a big hole together

N working on another deep hole

T diggin' in the sand, too!

What a FUN, FUN day! We spent a few hours @ a beach in Marin County. It was overcast for most of the time, but the sun peaked out for the last chunk of time. The boys didn't care, though. There were waves to jump, sand to dig in, and castles to build. Dad even took the 3 older boys for a small hike over rocks to see some tide pools full of star fish, sea anemones, & sea cucumbers! We dug some pretty deep holes in the sand to stand in. It was so fun to see the boys laughing in the waves and jumping each one. A few waves cracked over them and splashed them senseless! They got soaked, but didn't care. They got along great together and it was a parents' delight. We brought clothes to change into, and warmed up in the car. We hit really bad traffic on the way back. It was still worth the trip. This was a great way to wrap up our summer vacation -- together as a family.

Oh, since we had so much time in the car on the way back, the boys were getting silly and restless. They started making up jokes and would you believe that T started it all?!! He had a stick of string cheese and he held it up for all to see while yelling, "CHEESE!!" as though he was taking a picture!!! Then, after several bad "jokes", B said, "How can you tell the difference between a boy tree and a girl tree? You can see their nuts!" Pretty funny, eh? Then we told him that this wouldn't be a good joke to repeat in certain company. But, we couldn't help but laugh! It sure took our minds off of the traffic!!

Middle School Already?

I cannot believe that N will be starting Middle School! We got him all checked-in this morning. Most of the new 6th graders looked like "deers in headlights". I told N that at least 98% of the other 6 graders feel the same! That made him feel more comfortable. We shelled out lots of $$$ for PE clothes, a yearbook, school pictures, and a few other things. He was excited about getting his ID card already. Then we picked up his textbooks that will kept at home. That is really nice: he gets a set to leave at home, and he'll have a set to keep at school. He'll still have to carry his workbooks around, but it's a lot better than all of those textbooks. We got his schedule and walked around the campus locating all of his classrooms. He felt a lot more comfortable about the whole idea after he saw where to go for each class. The 6th grade is kept pretty separate from the other grades, and will have their own area of the campus. This sure made ME feel better. He looks forward to seeing his friends and making new friends. I've been so spoiled with having the Elementary school 2 blocks away! Now, I actually have to get in my car to drive him to/from school! Poor me! I'm hoping to get in on a carpool with a neighbor I recently met. That would be great. We'll see ... Anyway, after we got him checked in ... we had a little extra time and we went and got a Jamba Juice together. It was nice to have some one-on-one time together. I sure love my N!!

Cement Slides

Mom even went for a few rides

B at the end of a his slide

T halfway down the slide & loving it!



J ready to launch!

N & T ready for take-off!!

This morning, we found a cute little park with 2 cement slides tucked way in the back. We came prepared with cardboard and were ready to go. For the SECOND time this week, once we arrived at a park (this one included), a HUGE group of kids arrived seconds later and took over the park! I kid you not! Two huge white vans unloaded dozens and dozens of kids. My boys just watched as the once empty park was flooded with people. It was awful. We stayed a while to get several turns down these really cool slides. We definitely want to go back -- just not when it's so crowded. There's lots of shade, and there were goats down the hill. I'm keeping my cardboard in my van so we can go back soon and be ready. Hopefully, no white vans and no Adventure Clubs will be there are the same time!! Uggh!

Did You Say Ice Cream?

What? Do my ears deceive me? Ice Cream for dinner? Yep. We actually had ice cream for dinner. And lots of it! We planned on going to Leatherby's for ice cream and realized that we wouldn't have room for BOTH dinner and ice cream ... and so, the ice cream won. Dinner of champions, eh? There were many cheers and screams of delight. I guess you could also say that there is now an "ice cream dance," as demonstrated by N. I had my favorite: chocolate chip cookie dough with caramel topping. Any type of vanilla ice cream would do, though. Just as long as there is caramel topping. The boys all had milkshakes, and were very happy. The boys were on a super sugar high for the rest of the night. They tried tossing their favorite stuffed animals into a small target from the top of the stairs. At least it wasn't more TV. Oh and another thing, as we were talking about our happy things at our "dinner", B admitted that he's feeling more ready for school to start. Last week, he was upset about summer ending, but now he's ready to see his friends. I was so glad to hear that. I don't want them being upset about school starting up again. J & N said that they are feeling more ready, too. Well, we already know I'm ready for school to start (except for the loads of homework!)

I also wanted to share a couple of cute things T says: For the word "robot", he says "bo-lot" & for the word "boobies", he says "boolies". It makes us giggle every time! He's talking better every day, and becoming easier to understand. Yes, he still screams, but it's not as frequent as it used to be (THANK GOODNESS!)

Birthday Wishes

Mom with her boys!

What a day! I was pleasantly woken up this morning by T climbing into bed with me, and it was at a decent hour! He was full of cuddles and kisses. I had it really good compared to B's wake-up call!! T decided that B was a great canvas and being the opportunist he is, picked up a Crayola marker nearby and started to scribble all over B! We had to really scrub his face. It looked like he had some Egyptian eye makeup on one eye. He wasn't too happy, but he did have a good sense of humor about it. I preferred the cuddles to the marker. Plus 1 for me!

Later in the afternoon, J exclaimed that "there's a Birthday Present on the loose!" and he gave me the biggest hug and sweetest kiss ever. How cute is that?! Melted my heart.

I am so appreciative of my family and friends. I feel so blessed. Thank you for the birthday wishes today. It has been a great day.

Friends

T with his friend, Garrett

J with Brandon & Carter

I am so grateful that my boys have such great friends! Yesterday, we met up with our friends are the water park/playground (again) because we had so much fun last time. J was able to play with two of his closest friends -- they were so glad to see each other! T ran around with his two closest friends, too. I just couldn't get them to stand still long enough to get a picture with them all together! I am so grateful for MY friends, too. I am so lucky. It was nice to visit & laugh together.

We're trying to pack our last week of summer vacation with lots of activities. School starts the 14th, and it's coming quick. I think the boys are ready to go back .... I know I'm ready! I've already loaded up on school supplies.